When Federchicca asked me for a post about Christmas markets in Salento, I was a bit like: what did he mean? Christmas markets in Salento? But if there are well outside 20% and sirocco of Africa it has been caressing us incessantly for weeks.
Yet, basically, there is from haggling at Christmas even at these latitudes. Usually the cold arrives after the Immaculate Conception, at the latest in mid-December, we hide in the fire of a fireplace and begin to pop up all over the Salento dei nativity scenes in the villages, among trees and the dry stone walls, on the greenhouses, in the caves natural or among some citrus groves. Even Christmas markets, yes, like these that I suggest if you find yourself passing by the area during the next holidays.
The first is the Fair of Santa Lucia in Lecce, in the spaces of the former Upim, from 5 December to !: quite a few square meters of stalls run by local and non-local puppeteers. It is an unmissable event for the people of Lecce, here you can find all kinds of puppets, traditional and bizarre, in papier-mâché, clay and wood.
I pupari they are artisans by profession or simple enthusiasts and present many types of figures, from children to the Magi, from tradesmen of the time to crib objects. A fantastic world a stone's throw from basilica of Santa Croce and from Santo Oronzo on top of the Roman column. The Fair of Santa Lucia is a great start if you don't know the traditional local papier-mâché processing. Then, take a tour through the streets of the historic center, you will find some papier-mâché shops, enter it, the masters will usually tell you several things about this secret, such as the fact that many papier-mâché puppets end up in many cribs in Italy. I am proud.
Also in Lecce you will find another market, Salento Showroom, held from 5 to on December 25st. The motto of the exhibition is At Christmas, give your land, is a market of artists and typical products of Salento. Items of all kinds and for every type of pocket can be found in via Regina Isabella. And, always staying in Lecce, I suggest the Flea market, every Sunday in December until 19th. It is located in via Anna D'Austria, a barter and exchange market where there are also a series of lessons on the so-called happy degrowth (composting waste and how to avoid waste). For those who love this philosophy, recommended.
There will certainly be other markets, little ones in the literary sense, little ones like villages of Salento, small as the puppets of the cribs. Salento is like this: there is an official program like the one I just suggested here, then there is the real program and maybe some Christmas market not written anywhere and to meet at thesudden.
